WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17915, 3 August 1926, Page 8

WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING.

Local Government Loans. Supervision of borrowing by local authorities, as proposed in the Government’s Bill, has not been welcomed by representatives of local government who have publicly discussed the measure. Their criticism has not been directed at the practical details of the measure, but at the principle of national oversight of capital exepnditurc by local bodies. These objections are somewhat belated, since every local authority that has raised a loan during the last ten years must have submitted to a more arbitrary form of control than the new Bill permits. Since 1915 all the statutory powers of local bodies to borrow have been subject to the precedent consent of the Gover nor-in-Council, and though that sanction has apparently become a formality, the power of veto might have been exercised at any itme. The weakness of the Bill is that it proposes to retain this power of veto, although the proper functioning by the board should remove any necessity for such interference. But local authorities that deny the need for either the Governor-Gen-eral’s control or supervision by a Local Government Loans Board are obviously out of touch with public opinion on this question. —“ New Zealand Herald, ’ Auckland. Educating Industry. The Commonwealth Government is sending a delegation of employers and workers to the United States to investigate industrial conditions. To quote the Federal Premier, the object of the mission is “to see what has been achieved, and how it has been achieved.” In this enterprise the Federal Government is merely following the recent example set by British industrial interests. The report of the delegation will in all probability be the same so far as the salient’ features as regards wages and production are concerned. They will find, for example, that trade unionism of the kind which is known in Great Britain is at a very low ebb; that wages are high and the workers are prosperous; that production is high and prices are low— in short, that efficiency and service have done more for the workers and the- employers in the United States than trade union agreements, restricted output. and high prices have done for their British prototypes.—“ Dominion.” Wellington. Traffic Control. Notification has been given by the Police Department, of its intention to terminate the agreements under which the police control traffic in the chief cities of the Dominion. The arrangement has been in force in this city since 1913, and it has worked very well -upon the whole, but now that a revision of the terms is sought it is well that the whole position be reconsidered. The development of city traffic since the first agreement was entered into has been almost unbelievable, and conditions are now very different from those upon which the agreement was based. The city's own traffic staff is now a large one. and it is probable that it could now control the whole vehicular system without police assistance. Its members have had a good deal of experience in point duty during the early evenings after the police leave the intersections, and also in directing and diverting traffic upon busy days when an abnormal volume upon some of the roads has required special attention. Dual control, such as that which exists at present, is never satisfactory.—" Auckland Star.”